Chapter 9 Naked Under Stars
NAKED UNDER STARS
Nick rolled over.
His butt pressed against my hip while I lay on my back, staring up at the stars.
For a city boy, he had done pretty good up to this point.
Once we had the fire going, we settled into a comfortable silence.
Men and an open flame, it had a mesmerizing effect that sent us into deep contemplation.
I thought about all the times I asked Pops, “When am I ever going to need to know this?” I had been a brat.
I was a brat. Wherever he perched, I hoped he saw me trying.
When I spread out the sleeping bag, Nick realized he had made a tactical error.
It wouldn’t be the first time I slept propped up against a log with my feet toward the fire.
It had served me well at the parlor, taking naps in the chair between clients.
I had taken pity on him and spread it out, offering him half. I didn’t realize he—
He rolled over. Again.
“I give up.”
He ended on his back. I stifled a chuckle. Pops would have been the first to tell the tale of our first camping trip, with me, too scared to go pee in the woods.
“Slide this way.” I patted the top of the sleeping bag.
Nick shimmed until both of our heads poked out from under the tarp.
Het let out a soft, “Wow.” No matter how bright the stars were in the city, they’d never compare.
With light pollution leaking from every streetlamp and drive-by, they measured in the hundreds.
Here, with nothing but a dwindling fire, there must have been millions.
“First time?”
“Uh huh.”
“Pops always said it made him feel small in a way that connected him to the universe.”
I couldn’t name all the constellations, and I only knew the North Star when I used the compass.
The sky had been his thing, maybe the entire reason he insisted we hike through the woods for the perfect campsite.
I didn’t understand him back then. Now I wondered how many people lay on their backs at this moment, staring at the same sky. Small. Connected.
“I get it,” Nick whispered. After a minute, his head turned in my direction. “I got dumped.”
“By Lacie?”
He returned to the stars. If not for the crackle of the fire, I’d have thought time stood still.
I’ll admit, I was curious about what he meant, but not enough to push the situation.
That was the Firefly way: interrogate until every morsel of gossip had been syphoned from a person before they traded it like currency. If Nick wanted to share, he would.
“I saw Firefly’s bonfire mentioned on the news.
It’s adorable. Small town. Big fire. Hot chocolate.
That’d be the perfect first vacation with my boyfriend.
” I sensed the looming disaster. “We drive a mere six hours. He’s kind of quiet, but I assumed he was taking in the scenery or work had gotten under his skin.
I hadn’t even dropped my bag on the bed when he said those dreaded words. ”
“I think we should break up.”
“Yup.”
In my younger days, I dated plenty. There were plenty of breakups where I heard those exact words.
I’m sure there were a few where I muttered something similar.
It sounded harmless, as if they were letting us down gently.
Instead, it always came with a whoosh of ‘how can I save this?’ It never ended well.
“Asshole move on his part. Six-hour drive for that? I’d have punched him in the throat.”
“A random bartender loaned me a key to his room—”
“Harlot.”
His head spun in my direction. I didn’t need to look; he had a scowl. “He went and stayed with his boyfriend.” Well, now I had an image of all three of them. “A recluse who lives outside Firefly.”
Wait. Did he mean— I shuffled onto my side. “Seamus is dating somebody?”
“Patrick.” I ignored the hypocrisy of my probing for information. “We’ve stayed in touch. I’ve seen photos of Seamus, but that was the first time I saw him in person. He’s as elusive as your mythical turkey.”
“Beatrice,” I said. “If you hear a gobble, run. The rumor is she rides a moose and devours souls.”
He laughed. It started as a snort and grew until he had to wipe his eyes. “Your people are weird.”
‘Your people.’ It struck like a punch to the chest. Of the things I wanted to be known for, association with Firefly had never been on the list. It made gossiping about Seamus even more uncomfortable.
Shortly after the divorce, rumors circulated.
Everything from cheating to a loveless marriage.
A wayward comment about him hitting on a guy at a poker game caught my attention.
Though we never talked, from then on, I believed we shared a secret.
For a second, I wondered if life would have been different for us if I had simply asked?
“What happened to your asshole ex?” I didn’t want to dwell on what-ifs.
“The next day I drove home.” Not exactly vengeful. “Without him.”
He turned to the stars.
I couldn’t help but stare… at him. Our first encounter had been apologetic.
Then brooding. Even the kiss had been to ease tension.
I thought Nick was a man wandering through life lost. Hearing he took life by the balls and left his ex stranded in Firefly?
He had my respect. It was the first time he had stepped out of the gloom.
“Get up,” I said. “You’re not sleeping. I’m not sleeping. We’re going on an adventure.”
“Now?” He sat up. “It’s dark.”
“We can fix that.” I fished through my rucksack.
“Are you going to make a torch out of—”
I produced a flashlight. With a click, it transformed into a lantern.
“Torch would have been cooler.”
The night had cooled, but not to the point of being chilly.
If we weren’t going to sleep, I might as well give him another initiation into the wilderness club.
I took him by the hand, tugging him along.
On our bare feet, I held the light low to the ground, watching for loose branches or worse, acorns. Nature’s Legos.
We followed along the river until we stood on a cliff a few feet above the water.
Having discovered the swimming hole earlier, I hadn’t expected to return in the middle of the night.
The river cascaded down the rocks, creating a small whirlpool.
Not deep enough for diving, but perfect for relaxing without being whisked away by the current.
“You’re not serious.”
“I’m very serious.”
I set the lantern on the rock before pulling my shirt off. Next, the pants. Without a modicum of hesitation, down went the briefs. I sat on the ledge, my ankles reaching the water. The mountain springs were chillier than I expected. My shrinking testicles confirmed.
I should have stopped to see if he stared, or at least snuck a peek.
He shuffled, and I heard the teeth of his zipper give way.
I thought I’d have to do more convincing.
It had only been an afternoon in the woods, and something about him had changed.
The sadness lingered, but it had cleared enough to see the man underneath.
I turned my head, hoping to catch a gander of him in all his glory.
Penis. Eye-level.
He stretched as if he had just awoken. It’d be rude to not admire it for a moment.
I had seen plenty of cocks in my time, and if Nick turned out to be a grower…
the back of my throat tickled at the thought.
Before he could look down and catch my erection, I slid off the rocks into the water.
I let out an audible hiss as my testicles all but vanished.
“Cold?”
“P-P-Perfect.” The rush of water felt good against my backside.
Holding my breath and gritting my teeth, I sank down.
The bubbles from the small waterfall pushed against my back.
During the day, nature’s hot tub would have been relaxing.
I distracted myself from the cold with another peek at my endowed hiking buddy.
My cock didn’t know if it should get hard or keep withdrawing.
“I’m not doing this,” he muttered.
I expected him to hem and haw, to find an excuse that kept him dry. When his feet touched the water, I thought he’d turn around and get dressed. He clumsily pushed off, splashing into the pool, sending a wave over my head.
“Oh my God. Oh. Oh. I hate you.” His arms wrapped around his chest, and I could already see the shivering. I’d have laughed at him if my teeth weren’t chattering. Pops lecturing me about the dangers of night swimming rumbled in the back of my head. For once, I hope he wasn’t looking down on me.
After a few minutes, either the water warmed or we went numb.
The pool stretched the width of the river, and we slowly paddled back and forth.
The flow of the water pushed us along, trying to drag me closer to him.
A moment later, Nick’s splashes went quiet, and I had to turn and make sure he hadn’t been swept under.
He stood perfectly still, his face glowing from the lantern.
Eyes turned up, I followed his gaze to the stars.
“I get it,” he whispered.
I didn’t want to be in Firefly… mostly. It was impossible to completely shun my hometown, not when it gave me the opportunity to stand here beneath a million glowing specs.
My issues all but evaporated. Here, out in the wild, naked as a blue jay, none of it seemed to matter. How it all happened… nothing.
I was where the universe wanted me.
Under the water, something brushed my hand.
I almost jerked away before his fingers locked with mine.
I wanted to pull him closer and give him a bear hug from behind.
Resting my head on his shoulder, we could be part of the vastness, a tiny part, together.
My chest filled with feels and I dismissed them.
Naked underneath a canopy of stars, my emotions tried to get away from me.
He squeezed my hand, never looking away from the sky.
These feelings were not so easily dismissed.